Ode to the Outdoors

Being outside is sure good for the soul....and good for the temperament of two certain babies. We are all really hoping these nice days aren't just for teasing. 

Anytime Nate and I run outside for a quick second this is what we see...

 Yes there are usually a lot of baby slobbers plastered on the glass.

 The glass can get pretty disgusting.

 But I keep cleaning it off so they have a nice clean window to look through.

They love going for stroller rides. Although  I really have to make sure Emmett is properly belted in or else he likes to try and sneak out. 

 I can't believe I got a picture of him standing still because he is usually running all over the place the minute he touches ground.

 And this little girl is just happy to be along for the ride. (And yes that is my handiwork of strapping her in. I might have been in a bit of a hurry).

 Last Saturday while Nate was camping in the snow, we decided to go to the park and we ran into Grandpa and Grandma, Aunt Heidi, Aunt Hannah and Uncle Brig. And this little dude got to ride on the scooter. So fun!

Bring on the sunshine! We sure love it!

Typical Day in the Esplin Household

Our days are full. Full of babies growing up! Each day is an emotional roller-coaster. One minute everyone is so happy and excited and the next minute someone is screaming very loudly. Just a typical day around here. Although we are exhausted by the end of the day, we wouldn't have it any other way. 

Here is one example of a typical day. Bath-time. The babies love bath-time and I love that they can both bath at the same time these days. Well the other day as they are playing and having so much fun, Nate comes in to help and accidentally knocks down the shower curtain rod. Nobody was hurt but it made a pretty loud noise and both babies lost it. I mean they were literally screaming at the top of their lungs. In a small echoing bathroom it was quite the acoustic show. Nate and I couldn't even hear ourselves talk. We just looked at each other and laughed because what else were we to do? But since this experience Kay Kay has been traumatized and the moment we set her down in the bath she proceeds to scream. Let's just hope this is a phase. 

Then there's a typical day with Emmett. Oh little Emmett man. You are stinking cute. Good thing too because you sure have your moods. Oh boy!

He loves his little Elmo. So soft and cuddly. I'll find him walking around the house with his little friend. 

But most times I find him getting into EVERYTHING! He climbs on anything he can reach. I can't turn my back for a second. We are just waiting for the moment until he breaks a bone. I wish I had pictures of him climbing on top of things but I don't want him to get the idea that it's okay to do that. 

Apparently he enjoys sitting up by the computer. I had run upstairs really fast to take a shower and this is what I find when I come down. (This was after he had already climbed on top of the desk). 

 And he thinks he is a big boy and is very possessive of his snacks. He wouldn't let me take a bite. 

He sure helps us to remember to enjoy life. He loves to play and he plays hard. 

 So hard in fact that he falls asleep while eating and there are multiple times where I have to hold his head up. 

And then there is a typical day with Kamryn. She is mostly happy which really helps with Emmett's moods at times. I love walking into her room because this is what I see...

 But then there are a few moments where she is so mad at me and lets me know it. And you can tell by this picture she is starting to become a climber also. The gates are officially up on the stairs and her mattress is officially lowered. 

She is crawling and standing up on things all over the place. 

She's kind of a little monster. 

 Her hair is crazy and I don't know what to do with it most days. Plus her brother likes to attack it. 

 Most of my time is watching these two monkeys play together. 

 I have to constantly be on my guard because Emmett likes to attack when I'm not looking

 I don't know what it is about laying on her but he loves it and she doesn't help the cause because she laughs and giggles when he does it. 

We love our typical days. They are hard but they are rewarding that's for sure. 

A Year Older

30 Years Old. Is this really true? That seems old. But I like to think back to what a dear friend once told me, "I always feel like the same girl, no matter how much older I get." I agree, so bring on the 30's!

I was very spoiled this year. (A shopping trip with mom, books and candy, cute girly things, sweet messages from friends and family... I could go on and on) But a big part of the spoiling was from Nate. He sure knows how to make me feel special and loved. He was all full of surprises. The Friday before my birthday (shortly after he came home from work), his mom stopped by to pick up the babies for the night. Nate told me to get ready and pack a bag and we were on the road (after a few errand stops). He drove me to Alpine to the pizza parlor "Tootsies". Unbeknownst to me he had already arranged with the workers to have a pre-made pepperoni pizza with the number 30 made out of the pepperoni slices written on it. We walked in and apparently he gave a sly signal to the guys working there to let them know it was us. I was oblivious. Then he told me we had to order the pepperoni because he was told it was pretty good. I thought that was weird we were getting pepperoni out of all the pizza choices but I really didn't think much of it. Then our pizza came out like 2 minutes later which was really fast. Nate said, "Wow that's fast service." And the guy was kind of giggling as he put down the pizza. Then Nate said to me, "Doesn't this pizza look good?" And I was like, "yep" (but I really didn't look at it). Then Nate says,"Kayla...look at the pizza!" Yeah so not very observant on my part, but it was a nice surprise!

After we ate, he drove me back down by Palisades and after a bit of searching, we found a cabin he borrowed for the night owned by one of the Doctors he works with. I was so surprised and so excited because a few weeks earlier I had mentioned how fun it would be to spend a night at a cabin doing absolutely nothing and not caring about anything. Nate was definitely listening. 

And it wasn't just any cabin. It was a get-away house about 3 times the size of ours. So fun!

The views were amazing! (Which we ended up being able to see the next day since it was pitch dark the night we got there). 

My favorite room was probably the movie room. Nate rented some really good movies and it was actually nice to sit down and listen and pay attention to a movie. It was also nice to just lounge around, sleep in, and not hurry in the morning. Too bad my insomnia kicked in and I didn't fall asleep before 3am but oh well, it was still nice to sleep in. It was a very nice get-away to rejuvenate the soul. 

On Sunday I woke up to 30 Flamingos and some awesome signs and balloons in my front yard thanks to a couple of good friends.

After I hopped out of the shower I found the babies all dressed up and in their own shirts to celebrate the day. Kamryn's said, "Holy Cud! My Mommy's 30!" and Emmett's said, "Dadgum! My Mommy's 30!"

And of course I had my own laying out on the bed for me. (I promise I was happy, I just didn't know Nate was taking this picture). 

Later that night Nate invited family over to celebrate the end of the day. He even ordered an awesome ice-cream cake with my favorite ice-cream from Reed's Dairy. That man knows me. The best part was the very fun candle on top which I can't load the video of but let's say there was a lot of fire, music, and spinning candles. 

It was a great birthday (even though it was the 30th)! I was definitely spoiled a lot by family and friends and it made getting older a whole lot easier. 

Two Peas in a Pod

Oh these cute sweet babies! They sure love each other.

Emmett loves making sis laugh and sis loves laughing at Emmett. 

This is probably one of our favorite videos of these cuties right now. Emmett's new favorite thing is to sit on Kamryn and she loves it! (And Emmett is using Nate's deodorant to talk on the phone).

Now that Kay Kay is getting bigger and moving around I find Emmett playing near her more and more. He is definitely becoming more interested in her. 

He is learning to share some of his toys and books, but usually he will take them away from her first. 

And if one of them is on our lap, the other wants on too. There is nothing better than a lap full of babies!

Even though Kamryn's eyes are glowing in this pic, I had to share it. Emmett was so tired one night he wouldn't open his eyes but was giggling because we set sis on the couch with him. They just love to be near each other and we don't mind it one bit! 

Our Top 5 Holiday Picks

Hello 2014!

We had an awesome Holiday season this year. We spent a lot of time with family and there is no better way to celebrate the season. Here is a condensed version of our festivities simplified to our top 5 events.

#1 An Early Christmas with Ma and Pa Robinson

We played and played and ate lots and lots of food. (I think this was the start of why I maybe gained 10 pound over the holidays. But is was worth it!)

We had to make sure to get a cute picture of the babies with their stockings Grandma made for them.

 Emmett had lots of fun playing with his new toys (spoiled) and some toys at Grandpa and Grandma's. He especially loved the tunnel. 

 Kamryn was just so dang cute and happy pretty much the entire time!

 The babies received a very fun giraffe chair. They love it. (Did I mention they are spoiled?)

And it wouldn't be Christmas without a good ol' T-Bone Steak for breakfast. I think this might be Nate's favorite Robinson tradition. Don't worry, we all had our own this size.

#2 Bachelor's Party

The brother's that were available decided to have a Bachelor's party with the new to be brother-in-law Jake. 

Yep, they dressed up in singlets and wrestled. Disgusting. At least they wore shirts underneath? I would have gone with the pants like Jason. Just saying. 

#3 Christmas with the Esplin Clan

It was our year to celebrate Christmas with the Esplins and everyone was there this year. It was so wonderful to be with everyone. We laughed and laughed and continued to eat a lot! And of course the babies got spoiled.

I think my favorite part was watching the cousins get together. These two boys love each other! What's better than bonding together while bathing?

 They copied and followed each other everywhere. 

 And these two cuties are only 5 days apart! We had to compare the chunkiness of legs. I think Kamryn lost. 

#4 The Wedding

A few days after Christmas Heidi and Jake tied the knot. What a crazy whirlwind of events. The reception turned out great and Heidi looked beautiful! (Just wish I would have taken more pictures of the happy couple. And of course we forgot our camera at the Temple so no documentation on our part).

All the nieces and nephews. Emmett was not too happy about this. 

 Our little family. I love them!

 The little cousins all dressed up so cute!

 These two boys enjoyed pushing Kay Kay up and down the halls in the stroller. Thank goodness for that entertainment or it would have been a long night. 

 All the cousins. Aren't they adorable in their little wedding outfits?!

#5 New Years Back in the 'Burg

We played more games and ate a lot more food. (I'm not going to lie, it kind of feels good to eat healthy again and get back in the groove of things. My pants definitely fit a bit better).

Emmett (a spoiled boy) received a very cute snow ensemble from Grandma and Grandpa and we had to test it out in the snow. He was hesitant at first but ended up enjoying sledding around the driveway. 

 He kind of reminded us of the little brother all dressed up in his snow gear on "The Christmas Story."

We might have laughed a little hard while letting Kamryn try on these sweet glasses.

 And we had to incorporate Nate's family tradition by running barefoot in the snow at midnight, I don't enjoy this tradition nor do I understand it. This is why my feet aren't touching the ground. Poor Nate ended up getting cuts all over his feet. But that's better than the year everyone got frostbite.....

We sure enjoyed our wonderful Holiday Season and loved every minute of it!